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Introduction
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In physics, energy is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat and light. Energy is a conserved quantity; the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted in form, but not created or destroyed. The unit of measurement in the International System of Units (SI) of energy is the joule, which is the energy transferred to an object by the work of moving it a distance of one metre against a force of one newton.
Common forms of energy include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the potential energy stored by an object's position in a force field (gravitational, electric or magnetic), the elastic energy stored by stretching solid objects, the chemical energy released when a fuel burns, the radiant energy carried by light, and the thermal energy due to an object's temperature.
Mass and energy are closely related. Due to mass–energy equivalence, any object that has mass when stationary (called rest mass) also has an equivalent amount of energy whose form is called rest energy, and any additional energy (of any form) acquired by the object above that rest energy will increase the object's total mass just as it increases its total energy. For example, after heating an object, its increase in energy could in principle be measured as a small increase in mass, with a sensitive enough scale.
Living organisms require energy to stay alive, such as the energy humans get from food. Human civilization requires energy to function, which it gets from energy resources such as fossil fuels, nuclear fuel, or renewable energy. The processes of Earth's climate and ecosystem are driven by the radiant energy Earth receives from the Sun and the geothermal energy contained within the earth. (Full article...)
Selected article
Though technology exists to allow ethanol FFVs to run on any mixture of gasoline and ethanol, from pure gasoline up to 100% ethanol (E100), North American and European flex-fuel vehicles are optimized to run on a maximum blend of 15% gasoline with 85% anhydrous ethanol (called E85 fuel). This limit in the ethanol content is set to reduce ethanol emissions at low temperatures and to avoid cold starting problems during cold weather, at temperatures lower than 11 °C (52 °F). The alcohol content is reduced during the winter in regions where temperatures fall below 0 °C (32 °F) to a winter blend of E70 in the U.S. or to E75 in Sweden from November until March. Brazilian flex fuel vehicles are optimized to run on any mix of E20-E25 gasoline and up to 100% hydrous ethanol fuel (E100).
Selected image
Photo credit: From an image by Wolfgang Beyer
Strombolian volcanic eruptions can eject incandescent cinder, lapilli and lava bombs to altitudes of tens to hundreds of meters.
Did you know?
- During World War I, the German Army produced shale oil from Yarmouk oil shale deposits in Jordan to operate the Hijazi Railway (pictured)?
- Dennis Spurgeon, formerly chief operating officer at uranium supplier USEC Inc., became the United States Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy in 2006?
- Japan Canada Oil Sands Limited was the first offshore oil company to exploit the Athabasca oil sands in Canada?
- Teesside Power Station is the largest combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant in Europe.?
- The Klaipėda Geothermal Demonstration Plant in Lithuania was the first geothermal plant in the Baltic Sea region?
- Hitachi Zosen Corporation built the first oil tanker in Japan in 1908 per an order by Standard Oil Company?
- Coalbed methane is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds?
- When constructed in 1906, the Baku–Batumi pipeline was the world's longest kerosene pipeline?
Selected biography
Fermi was well-known for his simplicity in solving problems. Whenever possible, he avoided complicated mathematics and obtained quick results based on order of magnitude estimates. Fermi also meticulously recorded his calculations in notebooks, and later used to solve many new problems that he encountered based on these earlier known problems.
After accepting the 1938 Nobel Prize in Stockholm, Fermi immigrated to New York with his family to escape the anti-Semitic laws of Fascist Italy, as his wife Laura was Jewish.
After working at Columbia University, Fermi went to the University of Chicago and began studies that led to the construction of the world's first nuclear reactor Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1). The first artificial, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction was initiated within CP-1, on December 2, 1942.
In the news
- 5 July 2022 –
- South Korea's inflation reaches a 24-year record, as the country struggles with increasing energy and food prices. (Nikkei)
- 28 June 2022 – 2019–present Sri Lankan economic crisis, 2021–2022 global energy crisis
- Sri Lanka's power and energy minister Kanchana Wijesekera announces that the government will lift restrictions on fuel imports in response to the country's energy crisis, ending a fuel duopoly between the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and the Indian government-owned Lanka IOC. (International Business Times)
- Sri Lanka suspends sales of fuel for non-essential vehicles. For the next two weeks, only buses, trains and vehicles used for medical services and transporting food will be allowed to refuel. (BBC News)
- 27 June 2022 –
- The Japanese government asks the public to conserve energy and to prepare for power outages as the country faces a heat wave. (AP)
- 21 June 2022 – 2021–2022 global energy crisis
- Lebanon, Egypt and Syria sign an agreement to supply Egyptian gas to a power plant in northern Lebanon through Syria. However, the World Bank, which is financing the deal, must validate the agreement before it can take effect. (The Independent)
General images
A Washington, D.C. Metrobus, which runs on natural gas (from Natural gas)
Following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the world's worst nuclear accident since 1986, 50,000 households were displaced after radiation leaked into the air, soil and sea. Radiation checks led to bans of some shipments of vegetables and fish. (from Nuclear power)
Schematic of the ITER tokamak under construction in France. (from Nuclear power)
Trends in the top five natural gas-producing countries (US EIA data) (from Natural gas)
The nuclear fuel cycle begins when uranium is mined, enriched, and manufactured into nuclear fuel (1), which is delivered to a nuclear power plant. After use, the spent fuel is delivered to a reprocessing plant (2) or to a final repository (3). In nuclear reprocessing 95% of spent fuel can potentially be recycled to be returned to use in a power plant (4). (from Nuclear power)
Schematics of a grid-connected residential PV power system (from Solar power)
Measurement of the tailrace and forebay rates at the Limestone Generating Station in Manitoba, Canada. (from Hydroelectricity)
Nuclear waste flasks generated by the United States during the Cold War are stored underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. The facility is seen as a potential demonstration for storing spent fuel from civilian reactors. (from Nuclear power)
Energy use in industry caused 24.2% of all GHG emissions in 2016. Energy use in buildings and transport caused 17.5% and 16.2% of emissions, respectively. Another 9.5% of emissions came from other energy uses and 5.8% were fugitive emissions from the production of fossil fuels. (from Sustainable energy)
Fire-extinguishing operations after the Texas City Refinery explosion (from Oil refinery)
World map showing where people without access to electricity lived in 2016—mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent (from Sustainable energy)
The location of shale gas compared to other types of gas deposits (from Natural gas)
Merowe Dam in Sudan. Hydroelectric power stations that use dams submerge large areas of land due to the requirement of a reservoir. These changes to land color or albedo, alongside certain projects that concurrently submerge rainforests, can in these specific cases result in the global warming impact, or equivalent life-cycle greenhouse gases of hydroelectricity projects, to potentially exceed that of coal power stations. (from Hydroelectricity)
US Natural Gas Marketed Production 1900 to 2012 (US EIA data) (from Natural gas)
Cylinders of liquified petroleum gas (from Oil refinery)
Refinery of Slovnaft in Bratislava (from Oil refinery)
Guri Dam, a hydroelectric dam in Venezuela (from Sustainable energy)
Olkiluoto 3 under construction in 2009. It was the first EPR, a modernized PWR design, to start construction. (from Nuclear power)
ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (the fourth-largest in the United States) (from Oil refinery)
Krafla, a geothermal power station in Iceland (from Geothermal power)
Construction close to high pressure gas transmission pipelines is discouraged, often with standing warning signs. (from Natural gas)
The Warwick Castle water-powered generator house, used for the generation of electricity for the castle from 1894 until 1940 (from Hydroelectricity)
Since 1985, the proportion of electricity generated from low-carbon sources has increased only slightly. Advances in deploying renewables have been mostly offset by declining shares of nuclear power. (from Sustainable energy)
Crude oil is separated into fractions by fractional distillation. The fractions at the top of the fractionating column have lower boiling points than the fractions at the bottom. The heavy bottom fractions are often cracked into lighter, more useful products. All of the fractions are processed further in other refining units. (from Oil refinery)
Construction of the Salt Tankswhich provide efficient thermal energy storage so that output can be provided after sunset, and output can be scheduled to meet demand requirements. The 280 MW Solana Generating Station is designed to provide six hours of energy storage. This allows the plant to generate about 38% of its rated capacity over the course of a year. (from Solar power)
A pipeline odorant injection station (from Natural gas)
The Multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG), used in several space missions such as the Curiosity Mars rover (from Nuclear power)
Utility cycling infrastructure, such as this bike lane in Vancouver, encourages sustainable transport. (from Sustainable energy)
South America (from Solar power)
Most waste packaging, small-scale experimental fuel recycling chemistry and radiopharmaceutical refinement is conducted within remote-handled hot cells. (from Nuclear power)
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System with all three towers under load during February 2014, with the Clark Mountain Range seen in the distance (from Solar power)
Battery storage facility
Reactor decay heat as a fraction of full power after the reactor shutdown, using two different correlations. To remove the decay heat, reactors need cooling after the shutdown of the fission reactions. A loss of the ability to remove decay heat caused the Fukushima accident. (from Nuclear power)
Russia is a key oil and gas supplier to Europe (from Energy policy)
Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of electricity supply technologies, median values calculated by IPCC (from Nuclear power)
Wind turbines in Xinjiang, China
Museum Hydroelectric power plant ″Under the Town″ in Serbia, built in 1900. (from Hydroelectricity)
Sample of gasoline (from Oil refinery)
Activity of spent UOx fuel in comparison to the activity of natural uranium ore over time. (from Nuclear power)
Sample of diesel fuel (from Oil refinery)
Net metering, unlike a feed-in tariff, requires only one meter, but it must be bi-directional. (from Solar power)
The town of Pripyat abandoned since 1986, with the Chernobyl plant and the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement arch in the distance. (from Nuclear power)
The Ffestiniog Power Station can generate 360 MW of electricity within 60 seconds of the demand arising. (from Hydroelectricity)
Growth of solar PV on a semi-log scale since 1992 (from Solar power)
Burning of natural gas coming out of the ground in Taiwan (from Natural gas)
Larderello Geothermal Station, in Italy (from Geothermal power)
Example of energy policy decisions: The goal of the Southern Gas Corridor, which connects the giant Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe, is to reduce Europe's dependency on Russian gas. (from Energy policy)
Death rates from air pollution and accidents related to energy production, measured in deaths in the past per terawatt hours (TWh) (from Nuclear power)
Share of electricity production from solar, 2020 (from Solar power)
motor oil (from Oil refinery)
A solar photovoltaic system array on a rooftop in Hong Kong (from Solar power)
A breakdown of the products made from a typical barrel of US oil (from Oil refinery)
The Ikata Nuclear Power Plant, a pressurized water reactor that cools by utilizing a secondary coolant heat exchanger with a large body of water, an alternative cooling approach to large cooling towers. (from Nuclear power)
Actual annual deployments of solar PV vs predictions by the IEA for the period 2002–2016. Predictions have largely and consistently underestimated actual growth. (from Solar power)
Manhole for domestic gas supply, London, UK (from Natural gas)
Schematic flow diagram of a typical natural gas processing plant (from Natural gas)
Countries by natural gas proven reserves (2014), based on data from The World Factbook (from Natural gas)
A photovoltaic power station in California, United States
Natural gas extraction by countries in cubic meters per year around 2013 (from Natural gas)
The Hoover Dam in the United States is a large conventional dammed-hydro facility, with an installed capacity of 2,080 MW. (from Hydroelectricity)
The Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant in Switzerland (from Nuclear power)
The first light bulbs ever lit by electricity generated by nuclear power at EBR-1 at Argonne National Laboratory-West, December 20, 1951. (from Nuclear power)
Dry cask storage vessels storing spent nuclear fuel assemblies (from Nuclear power)
A comparison of prices over time for energy from nuclear fission and from other sources. Over the presented time, thousands of wind turbines and similar were built on assembly lines in mass production resulting in an economy of scale. While nuclear remains bespoke, many first of their kind facilities added in the timeframe indicated and none are in serial production. Our World in Data notes that this cost is the global average, while the 2 projects that drove nuclear pricing upwards were in the US. The organization recognises that the median cost of the most exported and produced nuclear energy facility in the 2010s the South Korean APR1400, remained "constant", including in export.
LCOE is a measure of the average net present cost of electricity generation for a generating plant over its lifetime. As a metric, it remains controversial as the lifespan of units are not independent but manufacturer projections, not a demonstrated longevity. (from Nuclear power)
Thomas Young - the first to use the term "energy" in the modern sense, in 1802. (from History of energy)
Natural gas burner on a natural-gas-burning stove (from Natural gas)
Refinery, Bayport Industrial Complex, Harris County, Texas (from Oil refinery)
Anti-nuclear protest near nuclear waste disposal centre at Gorleben in northern Germany (from Nuclear power)
Polyethylene plastic main being placed in a trench (from Natural gas)
Geothermal power center in the Usulután Department, El Salvador. (from Geothermal power)
Global geothermal electric capacity. Upper red line is installed capacity; lower green line is realized production. (from Geothermal power)
Part of the 354 MW Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) parabolic trough solar complex in northern San Bernardino County, California (from Solar power)
A parabolic collector concentrates sunlight onto a tube in its focal point. (from Solar power)
Growth of renewables was 45% larger in 2020 compared to 2019, including a 90% rise in global wind capacity additions (green) and a 23% expansion of new solar photovoltaic installations (yellow). (from Sustainable energy)
Nuclear fuel assemblies being inspected before entering a pressurized water reactor in the United States. (from Nuclear power)
A woman in rural Rajasthan, India, collects firewood. The use of wood and other polluting fuels for cooking causes millions of deaths each year from indoor and outdoor air pollution. (from Sustainable energy)
Neste Oil refinery in Porvoo, Finland (from Oil refinery)
The Calder Hall nuclear power station in the United Kingdom, the world's first commercial nuclear power station. (from Nuclear power)
North America (from Solar power)
United States and USSR/Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles, 1945–2006. The Megatons to Megawatts Program was the main driving force behind the sharp reduction in the quantity of nuclear weapons worldwide since the cold war ended. (from Nuclear power)
The Three Gorges Dam in Central China is the world's largest power–producing facility of any kind. (from Hydroelectricity)
Comparison of natural gas prices in Japan, United Kingdom, and United States, 2007–2011 (from Natural gas)
The warming influence (called radiative forcing) of long-lived greenhouse gases has nearly doubled in 40 years, with carbon dioxide and methane being the dominant drivers of global warming. (from Natural gas)
The oil refinery in Haifa, Israel, is capable of processing about 9 million tons (66 million barrels) of crude oil a year. Its two cooling towers are landmarks of the city's skyline. (from Oil refinery)
The launching ceremony of the USS Nautilus January 1954. In 1958 it would become the first vessel to reach the North Pole. (from Nuclear power)
Proportions of the isotopes uranium-238 (blue) and uranium-235 (red) found in natural uranium and in enriched uranium for different applications. Light water reactors use 3-5% enriched uranium, while CANDU reactors work with natural uranium. (from Nuclear power)
Australia (from Solar power)
Global energy usage is highly unequal. High income countries such as the United States and Canada use 100 times as much energy per capita as some of the least developed countries in Africa. (from Sustainable energy)
A petrochemical refinery in Grangemouth, Scotland (from Oil refinery)
Anacortes Refinery (Marathon), on the north end of March Point southeast of Anacortes, Washington, United States (from Oil refinery)
Buildings in the Solar Settlement at Schlierberg, Germany, produce more energy than they consume. They incorporate rooftop solar panels and are built for maximum energy efficiency. (from Sustainable energy)
Storage tanks and towers at Shell Puget Sound Refinery (Shell Oil Company), Anacortes, Washington (from Oil refinery)
Schematic flow diagram of a typical crude oil distillation unit as used in petroleum crude oil refineries (from Oil refinery)
USAID's Mission Director to Pakistan, John Groarke in a group photo with the live-line trainers for Energy Policy Program - September, 2015. (from Energy policy)
A micro-hydro facility in Vietnam (from Hydroelectricity)
Natural gas prices at the Henry Hub in US dollars per million BTUs (from Natural gas)
Electrified heat and transport are key areas of investment for the renewable energy transition. (from Sustainable energy)
Share of electricity production from hydropower, 2020 (from Hydroelectricity)
Kenyan dairy farmer lighting a biogas lamp. Biogas produced from biomass is a renewable energy source that can be burned for cooking or light. (from Sustainable energy)
Natural gas processing plant in Aderklaa, Lower Austria (from Natural gas)
Sulphur (from Oil refinery)
Sample of kerosene (from Oil refinery)
South and South-East Asia (from Solar power)
The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) receives fuel at sea (FAS) from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). (from Nuclear power)
Several countries and the European Union have committed to dates for all new cars to be zero-emissions vehicles. (from Sustainable energy)
Trends in the top five geothermal electricity-generating countries, 1980–2012 (US EIA) (from Geothermal power)
Passive cooling features, such as these windcatcher towers in Iran, bring cool air into buildings without any use of energy. (from Sustainable energy)
The outdoor section of a heat pump. In contrast to oil and gas boilers, they use electricity and are highly efficient. As such, electrification of heating can significantly reduce emissions. (from Sustainable energy)
The 120-MWe Nesjavellir power station in southwest Iceland (from Geothermal power)
Pico hydroelectricity in Mondulkiri, Cambodia (from Hydroelectricity)
World renewable energy share (2008) (from Hydroelectricity)
Oil refinery in Iran (from Oil refinery)
Sample of crude oil (petroleum) (from Oil refinery)
Africa and Middle East (from Solar power)
A sugarcane plantation to produce ethanol in Brazil (from Sustainable energy)
Typical composition of uranium dioxide fuel before and after approximately 3 years in the once-through nuclear fuel cycle of a LWR. (from Nuclear power)
Gas network emergency vehicle responding to a major fire in Kyiv, Ukraine (from Natural gas)
Trends in the top five hydroelectricity-producing countries (from Hydroelectricity)
Cooling towers at a geothermal power plant in Larderello, Italy
Natural gas drilling rig in Texas, USA (from Natural gas)
Peoples Gas Manlove Field natural gas storage area in Newcomb Township, Champaign County, Illinois. In the foreground (left) is one of the numerous wells for the underground storage area, with an LNG plant, and above ground storage tanks are in the background (right). (from Natural gas)
Electricity production by source (from Solar power)
For cooking, electric induction stoves are one of the most energy-efficient and safest options. (from Sustainable energy)
CPV modules on dual axis solar trackers in Golmud, China (from Solar power)
Part of the Senftenberg Solarpark, a solar photovoltaic power plant located on former open-pit mining areas close to the city of Senftenberg, in Eastern Germany. The 78 MW Phase 1 of the plant was completed within three months. (from Solar power)
Pile of asphalt-covered aggregate for formation into asphalt concrete (from Oil refinery)
Enhanced geothermal system 1:Reservoir 2:Pump house 3:Heat exchanger 4:Turbine hall 5:Production well 6:Injection well 7:Hot water to district heating 8:Porous sediments 9:Observation well 10:Crystalline bedrock (from Geothermal power)
Evolution of solar power production by region (from Solar power)
Seasonal cycle of capacity factors for wind and photovoltaics in Europe under idealized assumptions. The figure illustrates the balancing effects of wind and solar energy at the seasonal scale (Kaspar et al., 2019). (from Solar power)
A geothermal power station in Negros Oriental, Philippines (from Geothermal power)
Europe (from Solar power)
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Quotations
- "There are only two ways to stabilize concentration of greenhouse gases. One is to avoid emitting them in the first place; the other is to try to capture them after they're created. And there are problems with both approaches." – George W. Bush, 2001
- "The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say, 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that told me it's not a problem.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant. You take action." – Al Gore, 2007
- "If the climate researchers' reports are to be believed, global warming is a huge medium and long-term threat, one which could have dramatic consequences such as refugee flows and armed conflicts." – Angela Merkel, 2007
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